Krista Ratcliffe goes far and beyond the basic notions of identification that Kennth Burke addresses. Burke's theory of identification, in concise form, considers the role of identifying a commonality between speaker and listener in order to optimize rhetorical appeal. Thus, one may persuade or be persuaded by honing in on some identifiable thing, such as a shared experience or way of speaking. This understanding of identification offers a fairly effective avenue to persuasion.
Ratcliffe does so much more, however, by addressing a conscious form of listening that goes farther than a simple connection. Ratcliffe's theory gives way to actual understanding. She addresses the existence of disciplinary and cultural biases that have skewed, or displaced, listening. She emphasizes the discursive nature of rhetorical listening in all of its forms (beyond oral and written texts), which ultimately turns into rhetorical invention. These notions of rhetorical listening turn the intent to understand on the listener, which broadens the possibilities for interpretive invention.
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